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Feudal/Primitive World Gear
Feral and feudal gear tends to involve the sorts of items and equipment that help people to survive in the often hostile environments of their worlds. Including a selection of hunting and foraging equipment, as well as items that reflect the customs and beliefs of feral and feudal warriors, the gear here supplements the items found in Dark Heresy. Braid Cloak: The hunters of Fedrid rarely go tracking without wearing a braid cloak. The cloak is made from the tough hide of a large herbivorous creature, called the Ungorth, which has evolved a tough hide to repel the sharp claws of its predators. The braid cloak is worn by hunters to protect against similar attacks, as the predators that fall from the trees on Fedrid are not particularly choosy about what they attack. Hunters often incorporate vines, leaves and other vegetation for camouflage. Outside of the Fedrid jungles, the cloak’s value is somewhat lessened. A braid cloak grants a +10 bonus on Concealment Tests when worn in forest or jungle terrain. In addition, the cloak grants 1 Armour Point to the Body. The protection provided counts as Primitive. Caltrop: The caltrop is a small, four-pointed spike, left on the ground for intended targets to step upon. Fervious caltrops are often coated in the venom of the feared Fervious serpent. Should the target step on the caltrops, they face a prolonged and agonising death unless anti-venom is nearby. Caltrops are sold in quantities enough to blanket a two metre by two metre area. Anyone walking on Fervious caltrops without at least 1 Armour Point on their feet counts as being hit by a weapon with the Toxic special quality. In addition, those walking across caltrops must succeed on a Difficult (–10) Agility Test. A success halves movement, while a failed Test quarters movement. The reduced speed lasts until the victim receives medical treatment. Capsican Trap: Used on the feral world of Monrass to break up the masses of soldiers used in the battles between its rival empires, these primitive land mines are surprisingly effective devices. Simply made from fragile clay pots and filled with a mixture of spinethorns, lamp oil and spay-burner grubs (an indigenous insect filled with a pyretic acid), the mines are placed in a shallowdug hole and covered with a thin layer of earth. When stood upon, the pot breaks causing the victim to be gouged by the spine-thorns and rupturing the spay-burner’s bloated bodies, causing severe and painful acid burns, and igniting their clothing with sticky, burning ichor. Feral regiments raised for the Imperial Guard from Monrass have taken this weapon with them, even going so far as to take breeding nests of burner grubs with them on campaign, much to their Munitorum quartermasters’ dismay. Anyone stepping on a Capsican Trap must make a Difficult (–10) Agility Test. Failure indicates that they have set it off, causing 1D10 E Damage to their legs. A second, Challenging (+0), Agility Test determines if the victim has also caught on fire. Feral Healer's Kit: On feral worlds, healers rely upon herbs, poultices and other primitive methods to tend to their patients. A typical kit will contain the following: seep moss to staunch bleeding, stitchticks to close wounds, sleep bark to numb pain, splints and soft leather bandages, bone tweezers and flint knife, and a heavy cosh for untreatable cases. Feudal Healer's Kit: On feudal worlds, there is usually a modicum of medical theory and surgical techniques, often taught by secretive guilds or academic schools. Occasionally there are folk practitioners using ancient wisdom and common sense, however, most of these are usually burnt as witches. A typical healer’s kit would contains the following items: leeches to staunch bleeding, needle and thread to close wounds, alchemical tincture to numb pain, cloth bandages, splints and plaster, metal scalpel, probes, clamps and pliers, saw for amputations and a stout leather apron to stop the stains. Glo-Slug of Dusk: In the foetid swamps of Dusk swim the glo-slugs, brown and black gastropods of an unremarkable nature. Like much of Dusk’s native fauna, the slugs are carnivorous and spend their lives searching for dead creatures to slime over and digest. However, when removed from the water, the slug’s skin emanates a phosphorous white glow. Placing two or more slugs together dramatically increases the illumination. The inhabitants of Dusk place three or four slugs together in a jar to give off a very bright light to help them illuminate the marshy hunting grounds. Each slug illuminates a one metre radius area. The light from multiple glo-slugs is cumulative, so two will shed light out to two metre s, three to three metres, and so on. This natural light source can prove useful in numerous situations where there is no power or where null-fields have been installed, preventing torches and other illuminating devices from working. Hunting Musk: Tribal hunters are all too aware of the acute senses of their prey. Accordingly, many smear themselves with stench-laden pastes to disguise their natural body odour. Made from all manner of foulness (on which it is best not to dwell), nevertheless, such pastes are a useful tool. Creatures that rely on smell to detect their prey take a –20 penalty on Perception Tests made to detect characters wearing hunting musk. An application of hunting musk lasts for 1d10 hours. †Cost indicates 1 bottle for alcohol and oils. Kill Stick: Volonx kill sticks are used in booby traps and consist of a sharpened stick made from bamboo or mono-plastics. They work best when employed in groups, often based within a hidden pit or trench. Anyone stepping into an area of kill sticks must succeed on an Agility Test or take 1d10+2 R points of Damage. Powder Bomb: Created by the death cults of Fervious, an ignited powder bomb unleashes a white powder throughout a 30-metre radius. The powder reduces visibility and the pollens used to make the powder are toxic to humans. Inhaling the powder is rarely lethal. However, it will inflame the eyes, nose and throat, and induces serious nausea, all of which takes a good few hours to clear. The cloud of powder disperses at a rate appropriate to the environmental conditions. A strong wind clears the area in 1 Round. Indoors, the powder settles after 2d10 Rounds. Powder bombs are Thrown weapons with a Range of 10m and have the Smoke quality. Those caught within the blast must Test Toughness or gain one level of Fatigue. Skeleton Keys: On feudal worlds, the locks of many castles (and sometimes whole towns) have been designed so that one master key, known as the skeleton key, can open them. Given that most primitive locks operate on the same basic mechanism, those who wish easy ingress often keep a collection of such keys on hand. Skem Net: A skem net is made from strips of plant stem harvested from the poisonous skem plant. A typical net is usually six metres square. The stem of the skem plant is notoriously hardy and so the net can actually be packed up quite tight, to about the size of a man’s balled fist. On Volonx, hunters launch the net with the aid of an arrow. The net is coated in skem poison that causes anyone unfortunate enough to be caught in it to be sent into anaphylactic shock unless the antidote is administered within ten minutes. This also means that the owner of the net must always use gloves and avoid skin contact when repacking it. Use the Toxic and Snare rules when the net is deployed. Sleep Dust: Harvested on Zillman’s Domain, the apothecaries found that crushing the seeds of an innocuous red and black flowered plant created a potent soporific powder. Inhaling the dust would drop a full-grown human in a matter of minutes and allow them to sleep dreamlessly for hours. Apart from feeling slightly drowsy for another couple hours afterwards, there are no other short- or long-term effects. The powder is tasteless and is often administered by being stirred into food. Inhaling or ingesting sleep dust forces a character to make a Difficult (–10) Toughness Test or 1d10 minutes later fall into a deep sleep for 1d5–TB hours. Smoke Flare: Fedrid smoke flares are made from the hollowed-out spines of a native cactus-like plant. The spines are filled with white cotton that, when lit, gives off a high yield of thick black, acrid smoke over an area of up to 40 metres. The smoke disperses at a rate appropriate to the environmental conditions. A strong wind clears the area in 1d5 Rounds; indoors, the smoke clears after 2d10 minutes. Soul Mask: These ornate, bizarre and often frightening masks are employed by the native hunters of Fedrid as a sinister form of defence. Soaked in the blood of beasts (and some say ritually murdered rivals), these outsized masks are worn on the back with the common belief that the trapped soul within will flinch with anticipation if danger stalks up behind the wearer. Unsurprisingly these macabre items of “primitive art” grace the walls of many a private study on Scintilla and elsewhere and fetch high prices. The stories of strange hauntings, bloody histories and native curses clinging to such masks only adds to the frisson of owning one for some. Sour Mud: The substance known as sour mud is found on the beds of dormant tar pits on the feral world Endrite. It is used by shamans and witch doctors for healing and can be used in poultices, placed directly onto a wound to staunch bleeding or even diluted with hot water and ingested to reduce fevers— although it is said to taste foul! Studies show the putty-like substance is rich in minerals and contains strong anti-bacterial agents. Rumours abound of an interested corporation wishing to build a large industrial complex on the tar pits to harvest and export the substance off-world. A medic using sour mud gains a +10 bonus on Medicae Tests when treating diseases and fevers and may use Spark Rocks: Spark rocks are small white crystals that work like flint and steel. Striking the rocks together creates sparks. Creating the sparks over tinder, such as animal hair, wood shavings or dried dung, makes a flame that can be nursed into a campfire or used to light a torch. Spark rocks can even be used when wet. Spine Pick: Spine picks are useful tools created from the tough spikes that protrude from the hide of the Gar-keeler, a giant porcupine-like creature that inhabits the jungles of the frontier world Faldon Kise in the Malfian sub-sector. Once the creature is slaughtered and its spines removed, the base of the spines are bevelled into a crude handle, leaving the sharp spike tip in place. The pick can be used as a basic, improvised weapon. However, its primary role is that of a climbing aid. A spine pick grants a +10 bonus on all Climb Tests. Stink Bombs: These are used on a variety of primitive worlds, although the most renowned are those from the planet of Munsk. Created by collecting the faeces of a large worm-like creature, the excrement is then mixed with virulent pollen from the yellowpetalled plant known locally as the “dung-bloom” for its distinctive odour. The mixture is then balled up and encased in a dried mud shell. Once the fragile mud-shell is cracked an intolerable stench is released (an eight metre diameter per bomb). Most humans will not be able to stand the odour and must vacate the area or experience severe nausea and even loss of consciousness if they suffer prolonged exposure. Anyone exposed to a stink bomb must succeed on a Toughness Test each Round or gain one level of Fatigue. Sickle Oil: Made from linn seeds found only on the feral world of Tygress V, syckle oil can be used on any metal blade. The oil coats the blade giving it a bright sheen and making the metal all but frictionless. It will also prevent rust and tarnishing. Weaponsmiths use the oil on simple mechanisms, such as flintlock triggers, to prevent them jamming. Applying syckle oil to a bladed melee weapon or primitive firearm allows the user to re-roll any failed Test that would result in it being broken or Jammed. An application of the oil lasts for 1d10+4 attacks with the weapon or 12 hours, whichever comes first. Category:Gear